How to Watch This Is Us Without Cable – Your Top 10 Options

This Is Us is widely considered one of the best NBC shows in a decade. With believable characters and engrossing stories, the show is now one of those “must see” events every week. You can watch This Is Us without cable using any cord-cutting option that carries NBC.

Let’s explore which streaming services have everything you need to get This Is Us without having to pay for an expensive, traditional cable bill.

What Streaming Services Carry This Is Us?

Less than a decade ago, the only real way to get NBC without cable was to use traditional cable, or an over-the-air antenna. While you can still use an OTA antenna, that’s not always an option. Meanwhile, cable is increasingly expensive and often requires long-term commitments.

You can now get NBC (and therefore, This Is Us) for a low cost and without a long-term contract using the following streaming services:

Note, however, that regardless of which service you use, you may not have access to local NBC affiliates broadcasting online. Each service must obtain separate contracts for NBC affiliates. We’ll explain how you can determine whether each service carries NBC in your area, as well as what other benefits you’ll find with each one.

Although it’s primary focus is on offering sports of all kinds, fuboTV is also one of the best streaming services for those who want entertainment TV. Even still, because NBC carries a large number of sports each year (including NFL), fuboTV is a go-to source to get This Is Us live streams.

Channels and packages

Through fuboTV, you’ll be able to get access to 2 main streaming service packages.

The base “fubo” package costs $44.99 per month and includes anywhere from 50-70+ channels, depending on your location. If you want more channels, you can opt for the “fubo Extra” subscription, which will cost an extra $5 per month more, and comes with around 70-100+ channels.

Thankfully, fuboTV carries NBC in both of its streaming service packages. You can easily check to see whether or not fubo carries a local NBC affiliate in your area by heading over to their website. Just make sure your location services are activated so that fuboTV can determine where you are and what channels are on offer based on your location.

For the subscription cost, fuboTV provides users with a 30-hour cloud DVR. You’ll also be able to keep all of those videos for as long as want. Alongside that, the service has a 72-Hour Lookback feature that lets you watch almost every TV show and event within 72 hours of its broadcast. That doesn’t count against your cloud storage at all.

If you want more cloud storage, fuboTV lets you increase the storage limit to 500 hours for $9.99/month extra. That’s more than any other service on the market.

Meanwhile, if you’re sharing your account, you can stream the service on up to 2 devices at once. fubotV lets you upgrade that to 3 devices for an extra $5.99 per month

Sling TV was the first streaming service when it was founded in 2015, and it’s still one of the cheapest on the market. Sling TV lets you get NBC without cable so you can easily watch This Is Us without cable.

Channels and packages

Sling TV offers three basic channel packages. However, it can also be supplemented with a large number of add-on channel packages that lets you have more of an “a la carte” experience.

* You get one stream with Sling Orange and up to 3 simultaneous streams with Sling Blue.

Sling TV provides 3 streaming channel options. You can choose between Sling Orange ($25/month), which offers ESPN, Disney, and other Disney-owned channels among others, Sling Blue ($25/month) that features Fox-owned networks among other cable channels, or Sling Orange + Blue ($40/month), which combines the two packages into one.

If you want NBC, and therefore This Is Us, you’ll need to get Sling Blue. However, Sling Blue won’t offer NBC to every service area, so you can use Sling TV’s local channel lookup tool.

Features and extras

Sling TV provides a few additional features that might make it worthwhile for new subscribers.

First, you don’t get a cloud DVR included with the price, but you can add a 50-hour cloud DVR for just $5 per month extra. However, if you don’t need DVR, you can still enjoy the $25 per month price that makes Sling TV a top option.

For the price, however, you will get multiple device streams per account. And thankfully, because all you need is Sling Blue, you’ll get 3 simultaneous streams (Sling Orange only offers 1).

Sling TV has one of the most extensive selections of apps for users. You can install and watch the Sling TV app on Samsung and LG smart TVs, iOS and Android devices, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, and Xbox One. You can also stream directly on your Windows or MacOS web browsers.

Hulu is a great option for those who want to watch This Is Us without cable, both live and on-demand.

Channels and packages

Hulu keeps things incredibly simple with just one streaming service package. You can get 50+ channels in most areas for just $39.99 per month.

That offer will come with NBC, as well as many of NBC’s shows on-demand. That’s because Hulu with Live TV is more than just a TV streaming service. You also get the entire Hulu on-demand service, which includes a large number of popular TV show seasons from major broadcast networks, like NBC, ABC, and FOX.

You can find out if Hulu with Live TV carries your local NBC affiliate by heading over to the service website and using the address lookup tool provided there.

Features and extras

Perhaps the best feature that comes with Hulu with Live TV is the inclusion of the on-demand Hulu library at no additional cost. However, Hulu offers a wealth of other features and extras that are top-of-line.

Through your subscription, you’ll get a 50-hour cloud DVR. If you want to increase that, you can up it to 200 hours for an additional $14.99 per month.

Hulu with Live TV also provides users with 2 simultaneous streams per account. You can also increase this using Hulu’s Unlimited Screens add-on for $14.99 per month extra. With that, you can stream on an unlimited number of devices connected to the same wifi network, and up to 3 devices off-network.

Finally, Hulu with Live TV has wide device support. You can stream on apps for Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and most modern web browsers. You’ll even find apps for a select few smart TVs.

YouTube TV offers one of the best cord-cutting options on the market for those who want NBC broadcasts — if you can get it in your area, that is.

Channels and packages

Like Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV provides just one streaming service package. For $40 per month, you can get 60+ channels, to include NBC live broadcasts. This will allow you to get This Is Us without cable in all areas where YouTube TV is available.

That’s the thing with YouTube TV, however. It’s currently unavailable everywhere. You can check for availability directly on the streaming service webpage. If the service is available to you, you’ll also get more information about what channels are on offer in your area.

Features and extras

YouTube TV has among the best features and extras of any service on the market.

Through this service, you’ll get 3 simultaneous device streams per account, which is more than the industry average of just 2. You can’t increase that amount, however, even if you’re willing to pay extra.

YouTube TV also provides users with an unlimited cloud DVR. The recorded videos do have a 9-month expiration date, however, but that should be more than enough time for most users. Additionally, you can create up to 6 individual user profiles on YouTube TV, and each user profile gets his or her own cloud DVR and user settings.

For those who need wide device coverage, YouTube TV is a great option, although there are limits. You can stream on dedicated apps for Apple TV, Roku, Xbox One, Chromecast, iOS and Android devices, most modern web browsers, and a handful of smart TVs. But you can’t use the service natively with Amazon Fire TV devices due to a conflict between Google (YouTube’s owner) and Amazon.

PlayStation Vue is one of the most-loved streaming services on the market. It gets high praise for its features and user experience, but it’s also on the pricier end for many consumers.

Channels & packages

If you’re interested in PlayStation Vue, you’ll be able to pick from 4 different service packages:

Access – 45+ channels, $45/month

Core – 60+ channels, $49.99/month

Elite – 90+ channels, $59.99/month

Ultra – All Elite channels plus HBO/Showtime, $79.99/month

NBC availability is a bit spotty on PlayStation Vue. You can find out what’s available in your local channel package by going directly to the PS Vue homepage with your location services turned on. Alternatively, you can enter any address or ZIP code on the top right of the page from your web browser. If you find NBC is available to you through PlayStation Vue, all you’ll need is the Access package.

Features and extras

PlayStation Vue is among the most loved services primarily because it provides such an extensive line of features.

You can get a 28-day, unlimited cloud DVR with this service. That’s a bit more limited than with other services, and also can’t be increased, but the other features make up for it.

You’ll be able to create up to 10 different profiles using PlayStation Vue, and each profile gets its own DVR and user settings. You’ll also be able to get 5 simultaneous device streams per account. That’s more than any other competitor offers in their base-tier service options.

Should you find PlayStation Vue to be the right choice for you, you can download and install apps for multiple devices. While PlayStation 3 and 4 devices are obviously a great option, you can also use this service on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, iOS and Android devices, and web browsers for Windows or Mac computers.

AT&T-owned DirecTV Now is a cord-cutting service that does not require a satellite. You’ll be able to watch This Is Us without cable, but the service is a bit weak when it comes to features.

Channels and packages

DirecTV Now offers the following 4 streaming service packages:

Live A Little – 65+ channels, $40/month

JustRight – 85+ channels, $55/month

Go Big – 105+ channels, $65/month

Gotta Have It – 125+ channels, $75/month

DirecTV Now is available everywhere in the US, but your channel packages will vary by location. You can use the service’s local channel lookup tool to determine whether or not NBC is available to you.

If NBC is available to you, you can get it through the lower-cost, Live A Little package.

Features and extras

DirecTV Now has the standard set of features, but they’re either run-of-the-mill or are lower-quality, compared to the competition.

For example, you can get a cloud DVR included with the service, but it’s only 20 hours of storage. To make matters worse, you can only keep those videos for 30 days.

You can get 2 simultaneous streams per account, which is fairly standard, and you can increase that to 3 streams for an extra $5 per month.

DirecTV Now is available on a large number of devices, which is its biggest strength. There are apps available for a large number of devices, such as Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Chromecast, iOS and Android, as well as some smart TVs. Most modern web browsers will also work to stream directly from the website.

Stream This Is Us With An OTA Antenna

We mentioned earlier that you can still use an over-the-air antenna to get NBC broadcasts. This is indeed the case because most major TV broadcast networks still broadcast using digital, over-the-air signals.

All you need is a digital OTA antenna, a receiver, and if you want, a DVR to record broadcasts. Some options, such as Sling TV, even sell OTA antenna packages to help supplement your cord-cutting experience.

Tech, video games, and a good book. I love all of them, and I'd write about all of them if I had the chance! I've been a teacher in the past, now a writer for tech-related news, guides, and information.

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